Broadband Communities

JAN-FEB 2014

BROADBAND COMMUNITIES is the leading source of information on digital and broadband technologies for buildings and communities. Our editorial aims to accelerate the deployment of Fiber-To-The-Home and Fiber-To-The-Premises.

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48 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LITE + OM: Partnerships That Catalyze Change A business incubator in Louisiana leverages a community fber network to nurture a fast-growing technology industry. By Skyra Rideaux / Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise F or the last two decades, the world has rapidly been shifting toward a high-tech global economy, bringing about a fast evolution of technology in daily life as well as infuencing the efciency, capital and reach of businesses. Te success of the Internet, coupled with its critical-mass adoption by the public, created an urgent demand for ultra high-speed, fber optic connections. A fber network can stimulate business activity and improve quality of life in a community. For Lafayette, La., fber to the home has catalyzed local economic development and enhanced telecommunications services for local residents and businesses. Lafayette is rooted in Cajun and Creole culture and is known for its food and lively music. Although this cultural infuence attracts businesses and tourists from all over the world, Lafayette has one characteristic that sets it apart: a community-owned fber optic network that is ranked one of the fastest in the world. LUS Fiber is Lafayette's fourth utility, providing video, Internet and phone services to the city of Lafayette. It is the frst municipal fber-to-the-home (FTTH) system in Louisiana and one of only about 150 community-owned systems in the country. Since LUS Fiber served its frst customer in 2009 and completed its phased buildout in 2010, LUS Fiber has been a catalyst for growth in technology and economic development in Lafayette. From its world-renowned cuisine to its high- tech infrastructure, Lafayette is a community frmly rooted in innovation. Lafayette is home to the world's frst 3D data visualization facility, Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE). LITE was created as an economic hub to foster the growth of businesses and become a leader in creating technologically advanced solutions for data visualization and immersive technologies. LITE is home to four advanced, high-powered visualization venues that are all capable of incorporating immersive and 3D technology. Tese venues can aid businesses in displaying visual representations of their work by immersing them and their clients in complex data, or simply supply space to collaborate. LITE boasts a professional staf of software engineers and artists who can partner on any project that requires 3D and immersive visualization. When this 70,000-square-foot facility was completed in 2006, it became a magnet for technology-based business, and because of its fber optic connectivity, a business accelerator was created to partner with LITE. Learn more at the Summit about how community broadband can spark economic development. BBC_Jan14.indd 48 1/29/14 10:30 AM

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